The proposed project will investigate the health conditions of the elderly within major urban areas in seven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (Barbados, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay) and in Puerto Rico. We propose fielding simultaneous and rigorously comparable cross sectional surveys to collect information that will be the first if its kind for Latin American countries and the Caribbean, and which will support much needed analyses and stimulate additional research in the area. The project will consist of two phases. The first phase is the collection of basic information through strictly comparable cross- sectional surveys in random samples of the elderly population residing in urban areas selected for the study. In some but not all countries the survey information will be augmented with interviewees information retrieved from administrative records of hospitals, clinics, and health care centers. The second phase of the project is the organization dissemination, and analysis of the information thus collected. We are seeking funding for only a small part of the project, namely, the participation of the PI in his capacity as central coordinator of the project, to support travel and other organizational activities of the project, and to defray the modest costs of consultants and technicians.